Endings are just new beginnings
by arabesque82
Summary: As Starling city rebounds from Slade's terrorism, Laurel finds herself contemplating a new journey. This is a one shot at the moment, but I will be building on this universe.


_Quick disclaimer: I know most of you have me on alert because of my Olicity fics. This fic, however, is not an Olicity fic, neither of those two are in this story. This is purely from Laurel's viewpoint._

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Starling City would never be the same again. The destruction of the Glades was nothing compared to the ruin Slade's army caused the city. Though the Glades had more casualties, the super soldiers tore the rest of Starling apart. It had been months now, but rebuilding was a slow and painful process.

When reports of Isabel's involvement came to light, the board of Queen Consolidated quickly reinstated Oliver as CEO. The company had since promised to restore Starling city to what it once was. Oliver was on the front page of every publication, and after the city learned of Blood's betrayal, Oliver became a beacon of hope.

Public opinion of the Arrow had changed, he was no longer portrayed as a criminal, and instead he became the savior. As far as the public knew, he single-handedly brought down Slade and his army. He was a hero. There were rumblings of the Arrow having a team, but it was just rumors. Besides occasionally working with the woman in black, the Arrow worked alone.

She knew the truth, though. Oliver relied on his team. In fact he was barely away from them, between working together at QC, there was very little alone time to be had. She played her part in bringing down Slade. For a moment she was a part of Oliver and Sara's secret lives. At the time she thought this was it, she could make a real difference, she could do this.

She just couldn't do it his way.

Her father was reinstated as a Detective, and his connection to the Arrow was no longer reviled. In fact, the SPD actively worked with the Arrow, and her father was the liaison. Things were looking up. Everyone had found their place, their mecca.

Everyone except for her. She spent the last few months helping every way she could to rebuild Starling. She volunteered and offered free legal advice to those who needed it, she was hands on in several projects.

On her free time, she trained. Sara didn't hold back during their sessions, Laurel had the bruises to prove it, but it made her better.

She wasn't as accomplished as Sara, but she was still early on in her training. She was far more skilled now than she ever imagined she'd be. She was hesitant when Sara insisted on teaching her on how to break someone's spine. It seemed a little extreme, the idea was to capture and not to kill, but she learned the move anyhow.

Sara was happy to teach her how to fight. It saddened Laurel that it was on of the few ways Sara could connect. She knew bits and pieces of what she went through, in the six years she was missing, but beyond that Sara didn't want to talk about it.

Laurel knew not to push things too hard; she learned that the hard way with Oliver. No, instead, she decided to allow Sara to open up at her own pace. She made it a point to enjoy the time she spent with her sister, and tried to squeeze in as much family time as possible.

At the time, neither Sara nor her father knew why it was so important to her to have Sunday dinner. She just kept insisting that with everything that had happened, she didn't want to miss out on spending time with them. It was the truth, but it was a half-truth.

To say they were upset when she told them of her plans, was an understatement. They didn't understand why she would leave Starling at such a crucial time. They used the city as an excuse to try to get her to stay, when that failed they tried guilt.

It didn't work. The city was on the rebound and she was proud of the part she played in it. As for the guilt, that didn't work, not anymore. She was good to her father, sister, and even her mother. She loved and cherished them all, and she made sure they knew that, but it was time for her to put herself first.

When her old college friend called her up, letting her know of a job opening at the her company, she was quick to send a résumé. True, Gotham was known to have a rather high crime rate, and if reports were true… they had their own vigilante.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for the company to request an interview, they immediately offered her a position. It wasn't just the promise of a great job that called her attention to Gotham.

She heard that Helena had taken up residence there. Somehow, she was released before Slade's army took over Starling, proving that the system was corrupt. From what she heard, Helena was keeping a low profile and wasn't getting into any trouble. However, Laurel didn't trust her, the woman was a wild card.

Something about Gotham just made sense to her. It wasn't just about the job, or keeping tabs on Helena. It wasn't the added bonus of reconnecting with Barbara, who was her best friend, and partner in crime during her college years.

Gotham. Something about it just felt right. If she didn't know any better she'd say destiny was pulling her, taking her on the path she meant to be on.

Glancing down at the box Sara gave her, a parting gift. She shocked to find a mask very similar to her sister's.

"You never know when it might come in handy," Sara had said, giving her a hug and promising to visit.

She turned the mask in her hand, tempted to try it on. She always wondered what she'd look like in Sara's costume, but she just put it back in the box.

This wasn't the time. Something about putting it on now felt wrong, almost as if it would be tainted. No, she would wait. She had no doubt that the mask would fit her perfectly when the time came, if it came. Until then, it would stay in its box, until needed.

Laurel didn't feel the fear she was expecting, there was no hesitation. Only anticipation. Something deep inside told her this was it, her life would never be the same, and she knew it would be for the better.

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So for the moment this is a one-shot. It's pretty short for me, but this felt like the right place to end it. Yes, I would like to eventually write more for this verse, but I want to finish my other wip's first. Hope you guys enjoy this. For those of you reading in search of secrets that will be up this week. Thanks.


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